High Commissioner Extends Invitation to Ten Jewish Leaders in Palestine

September 6, 1946

Jerusalem (Sep. 5)

The High Commissioner today extended invitations to ten Palestine Jewish leaders to attend the London conference. The ten are:

Chief Rabbi Herzog and Chief Rabbi Usiel, representing the Rabbinate; Isaac Ben-Zvi, president of the Jewish National Council; Goldie Meyerson and Joseph Sprinzak, leaders of the Histadruth; Israel Rokach and Felix Rosenbluth of the Aliyah Hadasha party; Mordecai Bentov, leader of the Hashomer Hatzair; Rabbi I.M. Lewin of the Palestine branch of Agudas Israel, and Werner Senator of the Ihud party.

Representatives of the Agudah today said that the final decision whether to accept or reject the invitation rests with the World Agudah Conference in Paris. However, they indicated that the Palestine branch of the organization objects to participation in the London conference if the Jewish Agency will not take part. Rokach indicated that he will accept the invitation only with the approval of the Jewish Agency, while Senator declined to accept the invitation. A Jewish Agency spokesman predicted that none of the Jewish recipients of the invitation will accept it. A JTA survey among the invited leaders tends to support the Agency’s assertion.